i am excited to join this community as i really would like to talk to people who feel as i do concerning the treatment of animals. many people think i am too into animal rights and take it overboard which i admit i am very set in my opinions on this topic. i am a christian and belong to a church that really does not support my feelings concerning this. much as i love my faith i do not agree with how many things they teach about animals. all my life i have had animal companionship and to be truthful i enjoy, and trust my animal friends more so than many of the humans i have met. the fact that they are treated so badly and there are so many issues of cruelty bothers me greatly and i do not feel it is unreasonable to care about their welfare. so i am glad to have found this site and hope to hang around for a long time. thanks,